RotoBaller has assembled NBA injury updates for Week 13, and advice on various injury situations throughout the NBA to help you prepare both your seasonal and daily fantasy league (DFS) lineups. Understanding the injury landscape, including who's out and who could benefit is a key skill in all forms of fantasy basketball.
Here we will focus on the important questions: Who is injured? When are they coming back? Should you stash an injured player on your roster? Who is getting an opportunity in the mean time? This injury analysis should assist in projecting how to respond to injuries in seasonal leagues. Consider this your one-stop overview of fantasy-relevant injuries in the NBA.
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NBA Injury Roundup For Week 12
Questionable to Play
Jodie Meeks (SG, ORL): Thumb. A combination of D.J. Augustin, C.J. Watson and Mario Hezonja should get more run with both Meeks and Fournier out.
Avery Bradley (PG/SG, BOS): Achilles. Marcus Smart steps in standard format conversations and should start with Bradley out.
DeMarre Carroll (SG/SF, TOR): Neck. Terrence Ross and Norman Powell both get a bump in minutes and role.
George Hill (PG, UTA): Ankle. Shelvin Mack has posted low-end value whenever Hill hasn’t been able to play.
Patrick Patterson (PF/C, TOR): Sore left knee. Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell will trade starts depending on how Dwayne Casey wants to matchup that night.
Brandon Knight (PG/SG, PHX): Wrist. Devon Booker will get all the minutes he can handle and Tyler Ulis will be his safety net.
Bismack Biyombo (C, ORL): Knee. Serge Ibaka and Nikola Vucevic will likely share center duties with the Magic going with a smaller lineup is Biyombo can’t suit up.
Kristaps Prozingis (PF, NYK): Left Achilles. Mindaugas Kuzminskas has drawn the starts and put up low-end value.
Joakim Noah (PF/C, NYK): Sore left ankle. Kyle O’Quinn should get most of the center minutes in Noah’s absence. Willy Hernangomez should also see increased run.
Ryan Anderson (PF/C, HOU): Illness. Corey Brewer gets inserted to the starting unit with Trevor Ariza playing the four, but Mike D’Antoni ultimately shifts the touches to Eric Gordon.
Jon Leuer (PF, DET): Knee. Tobias Harris sticks in the starting lineup if Leuer can’t play, but Harris has been putting up value in both situations.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SG, DET): Shoulder. Reggie Bullock got the start last time out, but Stanley Johnson has the higher upside and should produce more in KCP’s absence.
Kevin Love (PF/C, CLE): Back. Stretch-big Channing Frye should fill the three-point void if Love misses time.
Taj Gibson (PF, CHI): Ankle. Paul Zipser has gotten the starts, but we’re expecting Nikola Mirotic to see extended minutes in Gibson’s absence.
Out Short Term
Luol Deng (SF, LAL): Sprained right wrist. Brandon Ingram steps into the starting unit and should be a relevant asset as long as Deng remains out.
Lucas Noguiera (C, TOR): Concussion. Pascal Siakam and Jared Sullinger likely absorb all of Bebe’s minutes.
Ed Davis (PF/C, POR): Sprained left ankle. Meyers Leonard should be the main beneficiary, but he’s been unreliable all season.
Evan Fournier (SG/SF, ORL): Heel. Jodie Meeks has put up value as a threes and points specialist with Fournier out.
Steven Adams (C, OKC): Concussion. Enes Kanter becomes a can’t miss asset while Adams is out, while Jerami Grant should post value for his block numbers.
Larry Nance Jr. (PF, LAL): Bone bruise, knee. Tarik Black has served as a solid backup big off the bench, but Nance should be returning shortly.
Blake Griffin (PF/C, LAC): Knee. Doc Rivers is going small with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute starting at the four and Austin Rivers acting as the small forward. Blake should be back in the next week or so.
Rodney Stuckey (PG/SG, IND): Hamstring. C.J. Miles and Monta Ellis take on a bigger bench role with Stuckey dealing with constant injuries this season.
Jeremy Lamb (SG/SF, CHA): Foot. Marco Belinelli will play the clear-cut sixth man as long as Lamb is out.
Mike Muscala (PF/C, ATL): Ankle. It should be a combination of Mike Scott and Kris Humphries splitting the minutes off the bench for Moose.
Josh Richardson (SG/SF, MIA): Sprained left foot. Dion Waiters gets a big boost with Richardson in a walking boot. Wayne Ellington also stands to benefit with J-Rich out.
Jon Leuer (PF/C, DET): Right knee, bone bruise. Tobias Harris goes back into the starting lineup and will get heavy minutes until Leuer returns.
Gary Harris (SG, DEN): Right ankle. Will Barton will reprise his role in the starting unit and should hold value as long as Harris deals with his foot injury.
Andrew Bogut (C, DAL): Knee. Dirk Nowitzki is getting the starts at center as Rick Carlisle opts to go small. Seth Curry gets inserted into the starting unit with Salah Mejri serving as bench depth.
No Timetable to Return
Josh McRoberts (PF/C, MIA): Left foot. Luke Babbitt slides into the start spot, but James Johnson has been the better fantasy producer even off the bench. McBob remains out indefinitely, whatever that means.
Jeremy Lin (PG, BKN): Hamstring. Spencer Dinwiddie has gotten the starts and Isaiah Whitehead seems to have moved back to a minor bench role. The Nets still haven’t released a timetable for Lin.
Quincy Pondexter (SG/SF, NOP): Knee Surgery. E’Twaun Moore, Tim Frazier and Solomon Hill have gotten starts, while Langston Galloway has carved out deep league value.
Out Multiple Weeks
Rodney Hood (SG/SF, UTA): Bone bruise, hyperextended knee. Joe Ingles moves back into a starting role, Joe Johnson should see an increased bench role and Alec Burks should see a few extra minutes as he works himself into game form.
Omri Casspi (SF/PF, SAC): Right calf. Matt Barnes and Anthony Tolliver should see a few extra minutes each.
Chris Paul (PG, LAC): Thumb. Raymond Felton and Austin Rivers get a huge boost with their All-Star point guard out for the next 6- 8 weeks.
J.R. Smith (SG/SF, CLE): Thumb. Iman Shumpert has taken over starting duties and should be considered in deep leagues. The Cavs have projected a late-March return for Smith.
Ben Simmons (SF/PF, PHI): Foot. Ersan Ilyasova looks to be starting for the next few months with Dario Saric getting the bench minutes. Slowly making progress.
Likely Out for the Season
Justise Winslow (SF/PF, MIA): Right Shoulder. James Johnson becomes essential to the Heat frontourt, while Rodney McGruder and Wayne Ellington should see increased run.
Brandan Wright (PF/C, MEM): Ankle surgery. Wright has struggled with injuries his entire career and hasn’t played this season yet.
Jerryd Bayless (PG/SG, PHI): Wrist surgery. Spanish Chocolate and T.J. McConnell will go back to their roles they started the season with.
Khris Middleton (SG/SF, MIL): Torn hamstring. The Bucks push Tony Snell to the starting lineup for his ability to space the floor. Middleton hasn’t been able to run at full speed just yet.
Chris Bosh (PF/C, MIA): Blood clot. James Johnson, Luke Babbitt and Willie Reed benefit from the extra frontcourt minutes.
Chris Andersen (C, CLE): Knee. He suffered an ACL tear in his right knee during practice. He’s been relegated to a deep bench role anyways.
Nikola Pekovic (C, MIN): Chronic Ankle Issues. Pek is contemplating retirement due to injury issues. Cole Aldrich has gotten the primary backup minutes behind Karl-Anthony Towns.